List of controversies

Throughout his prolific career, Kanye West has been the center of numerous controversies.

See List of feuds for a list of beefs with other celebrities and List of lawsuits for a list of legal disputes that he has been involved in.

2004

AMAs result

After losing the New Artist of the Year award to Gretchen Wilson, Kanye stormed out of the award show. He later ranted to the media that “I was the best new artist this year” and “I am what Michael Jackson was to me."

2005

Hurricane Katrina benefit concert

The year is 2005, and Hurricane Katrina has shown its lasting impact on the United States, and the recovery from the tragic catastrophe. NBC hosted A Concert for Hurricane Relief, a concert in which dozens of celebrities and music artists performed in an attempt to raise money for multiple orginazations helping victims of the hurricane's destruction. Kanye, seemingly fed up with not only the government's slow response and carelessness to get help for the victims, but also more upset at the neglect and double standard for the black victims as he stated.

“I hate the way they portray us in the media. If you see a black family, it says “they’re looting.” If you see a white family, it says “they’re looking for food.” And you know, it’s been five days because most of the people are black and even for me to complain about I would be a hypocrite because I’ve tried to turn away from the TV because it’s too hard to watch. I’ve even been shopping before even giving a donation. So now I’m calling my business manager right now to see what’s… what is the biggest amount I can give and… and just to imagine if I was… if I was down there and those are… those are my people down there. So anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help. With… with the setup, the way America is set up to help the…uh the uh, the poor, the… the black people, the uh… the less well-off as slow as possible. I mean, this is, Red Cross is doing everything they can. We… we already realize a lot of the people that could help are at war, right now, fighting another way, and they’ve… they’ve given them permission to go down and shoot us!”

While on live air, Kanye, while with actor Mike Meyers, would go completely off script, famously saying "George Bush doesn't care about black people." This quote would later become an infamous moment of his.

2006

MTV Europe Music Awards interruption

During the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, Kanye West infamously interrupted the ceremony when the award for 'Best Video' was announced for "We Are Your Friends" by Justice vs Simian, expressing dissatisfaction for not winning the award for his music video "Touch The Sky." This incident was widely reported and criticized, marking one of the earlier instances of West's controversial interactions at award ceremonies​.

2007

VMAs result

The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards saw a notable incident involving artist Kanye West, who, after losing the Best Male Video award to Justin Timberlake, voiced his dissatisfaction on stage, criticizing MTV. This act, seen by many as unprofessional, garnered significant media attention, fueling both support and criticism towards West.

2009

VMAs incident

An incident that happened on the 13 of September 2009 that took place on the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It was televised by MTV. The ceremony was hosted by Russell Brand. In this VMA ceremony Kanye walks up on stage while Taylor Swift was about to give a speech after winning best female video. Kanye approached her with a hennessy bottle on his hand (making it obvious he is drunk) and interrupted taylor with this infamous line "Sorry Taylor Imma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time". Later that day beyonce had actually won the award for Video of the year which she considered her first VMA award. The incident was highly publicized after the ceremony, with Rolling Stone naming it the "wildest" moment in the history of the Video Music Awards in 2013.

2013

Performance in Kazakhstan

According to reports, Kanye West received $3 million for his weekend performance at the wedding of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev's grandson. This sum is problematic given the global outcry against Nazarbayev's human rights record.

2015

Comments to Beck

The controversy regarding Kanye West's comments to Beck unfolded during the 2015 Grammy Awards when Beck won the Album of the Year award for his album "Morning Phase." Kanye West, disapproving of the decision, momentarily took to the stage as Beck was accepting the award and later suggested in post-awards interviews that Beck should have given his award to Beyoncé, who West believed was more deserving. This incident stirred discussions about respect among artists within the public and the music industry. West later publicly acknowledged his misjudgment, stating, "I was wrong to say a man who plays 14 instruments doesn’t respect artistry," and sought to clarify his actions in a radio interview with Ryan Seacrest, where he also mentioned playing basketball with Beck and recording with Taylor Swift, showing a sense of camaraderie among artists despite the earlier controversy.

2016

Comments on Bill Cosby

On february 2016 2 days before the release of TLOP Kanye west on twitter and tweeted exactly "BILL COSBY IS INNOCENT!!!!!!' which sparked major controversy. People took it serious but some people said it was a publicity stunt for his new album TLOP (The Life Of Pablo).

2018

TMZ interview

On May 1, 2018, TMZ released a clip of an interview with Kanye West that sparked immediate controversy and led to the cancellation of LOVE EVERYONE in favor of ye, effectively re-recording an entire album within a month. In the interview, Kanye said, "When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years? That sounds like a choice. Like, you was there for 400 years and there’s all of y’all?” The comment obviously received a nearly universal backlash for not only its tastelessness but its scarily ignorance to the historical context of slavery. Kanye would try to explain his actual point in a now deleted tweet:

"Of course I know that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will. My point is for us to have stayed in that position even though the numbers were on our side means that we were mentally enslaved. The reason why I brought up the 400 years point is that we can't be mentally imprisoned for another 400 years. We need free thought now. Even the statement was an example of free thought. It was just an idea. Once again I am being attacked for presenting new ideas."

Kanye would later apologize for the slavery comments 2 months later on WGC Chicago Radio.

Saturday Night Live rant

Kanye West was the musical guest for the premiere of Saturday Night Live's 44th season on September 29. He went on to perform three songs, "I Love It," "We Got Love," and "Ghost Town," the latter replacing the extended goodnights at the end of the broadcast. At the end of the song, he used the opportunity to go on a rant about politics and his support for Donald Trump. Cast member Pete Davidson walked off the set during the speech and made jokes about it on the next episode's Weekend Update section.

Ye had issues with SNL in the past, but this incident, combined with his hate for Pete Davidson over the years (particularly in 2022), made this his last appearance on the show to date.

2019

Ultralight Beam sample lawsuit

More info: Ultralight Beam#Lawsuit

"Ultralight Beam," the first track from The Life of Pablo (2016), opens with the sound of four-year-old Natalie Green praying and talking about God. Though the sample (and the track itself) was praised by audiences, Ye was sued for the sample in February 2019. Green's adoptive parents claimed that Ye wrongfully went to Green's biological mother to get the sample cleared, which she was not authorized to do. The Green family sought profits made from "Ultralight Beam" and "additional damages."

In December 2019, Ye sought legal action the other way around regarding copyright registration status in the US Copyright Office, but it was denied. He sought a motion to reconsider but that was denied as well. A settlement was eventually made out of court in October 2020.

2021

Sunday Service employment lawsuit

It was reported at the start of February that he was being sued for $30 million in damages in relation to the Sunday Service shows he has been coordinating. Plaintiffs have complained about not being paid on time, not being given pay for overtime work, not having proper rest/meal breaks, and more. The lawsuits are related to the November 2019 Nebuchadnezzar opera show.

Association with DaBaby and Marilyn Manson

At the third and final listening party for Ye's tenth studio album Donda, DaBaby and Marilyn Manson emerged from the house that Ye had in center stage. They proceeded to bob their heads and rock with the music throughout the rest of the event. When the album actually released a few days later, they were found on the track "Jail pt 2," with DaBaby having a verse and Manson having backing vocals on the chorus.

Ye's association with the two has been criticized by the public. Just a month prior to the event, DaBaby made controversial remarks about homosexuals at a concert, and at the time of the event Marilyn Manson was being investigated for multiple charges of sexual assault. Regardless, Manson appeared at a Sunday Service event a few months later alongside Ye and Justin Bieber. The song was also updated a month after release to make Manson's vocal contributions more apparent.

2022

Feud with Pete Davidson

Since his ex-wife Kim Kardashian separated with him and began dating comedian Pete Davidson, Ye has dissed her new partner in the singles "Eazy" and "City of Gods." The beef made headlines when, in mid-February 2022, Ye made numerous Instagram posts aimed at Davidson. These posts invoked the names of musician Ariana Grande and comedian (and colleague to Davidson) Michael Che. The beef would continue into March after the Eazy music video released showing an animated Pete Davidson getting kidnapped, mutilated and buried alive.

A line from "Eazy" reads the following:

God saved me from that crash Just so I can beat Pete Davidson's ass (Who?)

Donda 2 release exclusivity

On February 17, 2022, Ye announced that his eleventh album Donda 2 would be released exclusively on his Stem Player device, which costs $200. While Ye argued that it serves better in artists' interests than the low revenues that other streaming platforms offer, fans have complained about the cost. This announcement resulted in Apple withdrawing a $2 million deal to stream and sponsor a listening party/live event for the album.

Some fans have complained about the exclusivity of the album, while others have critiqued the release style as a scam for people to buy an expensive product just to listen to a poorly-received album.

"White Lives Matter" shirt and claims about Black Lives Matter

At the Yeezy Season 9 fashion show, Ye donned a black t-shirt that read "WHITE LIVES MATTER" on its back, with Candace Owens wearing a matching white shirt with the same text. He defended his actions by claiming Black Lives Matter "was a scam" and that his decision to wear the shirt was simply informing white people that their lives mattered too.

Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson wrote a piece that criticized Ye for his actions, which prompted the rapper to harass her on social media. Celebrities such as Gigi Hadid and Hailey Bieber came to her defense, but Ye also dissed those two. At the same time, this worsened his relations to Lil Boosie and Puff Diddy, among many others. He would go on to blame Jews for his negative media presence in the wake of this controversy.

Antisemitic remarks

Main article: Antisemitism

Ye became outspoken about his antisemitic beliefs starting with an infamous tweet he posted in October 2022, in which he said that he would go "defcon 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE." Those comments immediately led to him being banned from Instagram and Twitter, forcing him to post on TikTok and Facebook instead. He continued his tirade against Jews in unreleased portions of his Tucker Carlson interview that aired not long after. He also shared some more in an episode of The Shop that was completely withdrawn from public release. On Drink Champs, he continued to claim that Jewish people controlled the media and that they are responsible for casting a negative light on him. In the same interview, he said that we are still experiencing the Holocaust through Plan B and Planned Parenthood. His reputation hit an all-time low when he told Alex Jones on InfoWars that he likes Hitler multiple times, causing extreme fallout amongst even the most dedicated fans, casual listeners and the general public.

Ye has continued to embrace antisemitic rhetoric ever since his infamous October 2022 tweet, bringing it up in nearly every social media post since.

Claims about the death of George Floyd

The death of George Floyd in the hands of the police became a widely-publicized issue across U.S. (and international) headlines in summer 2020. Two years later, Ye claimed in a Drink Champs interview that Floyd's death was related to fentanyl overdose, not because police officer Derek Chauvin's knee was on his neck for an extended period of time. Ye claimed the knee "wasn't even on his neck like that."

These comments are inherently related to his other comments about the Black Lives Matter movement, including him saying that it was a "scam." Ye had appeared at the premiere of Candace Owens's documentary Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM just a few days prior to the release of the Drink Champs episode.

Association with Nick Fuentes

In November 2022, Ye had a dinner with then-former president Donald Trump about political matters. Political commentator (and noted antisemite) Nick Fuentes was present at that dinner, prompting significant public backlash. At the same meeting, Ye walked away frustrated with Trump's dismissal of the rapper's own ambitions to run for president in 2024.

2023

Venice boat incident

On August 18 2023, Kanye and his new wife Bianca Censori would take a boat ride in Venice, Italy. However Kanye would end up flashing his nude buttocks on the boat ride. Whether this was intentional or not is unknown, but the incident went viral. The company running the boats would ban the couple a few days later.

Bianca Censori's outfits

Some outfits worn in 2023 by Bianca Censori have been controversial for being provocative and revealing. It was later revealed that a 'secret team' was hired by Kanye West to design Bianca's outfits. The outfits were often made within a day by an in-house team that operated in the atelier, being able to create virtually any outfit on the spot. Some of the standout looks included a skintight bodysuit with a condom-inspired head covering and outfits crafted from deconstructed hosiery. The designs were noted for their skimpy and barely-there aesthetics, pushing the boundaries of conventional fashion norms​. This would cause accusations of Kanye being too controlling over Bianca however it was also stated that she had control and input over her outfits.

Censori made national headlines when she appeared in a nude outfit at the 2025 Grammy Awards.

2025

Support for Diddy

In February 2025, Ye spoke on his support for Diddy and his opposition to those who have claimed Diddy engaged in sexual assault with them. He has asked President Donald Trump to help with his release. In March, he claimed that a lot of people hit women and said that Cassie, Diddy's ex, was extorting him.